Solar Fish??

[waterbear]

I am iterested in hearing your results. I have an odd shaped pool and the solar cover is a pain to put on and take off. I really only use it from about Dec. thru Feb. because my heater doesn't have to work as hard then!

[luvapool]

Doesn't the film or whatever it is muck up filters?

[waterbear]

according to the manufactures info it is harmless to filters and people and compatible with all forms of sanitizers (CL, BR, Bac), ionizers, etc. It HAS been in use for quite a while now and if there were negative effects I'm sure we would have heard about them. The main thing about it is the question of whether it is a cost effective and just darn plain effective solution to heat loss and evaporation.

[CarlD]

according to the manufactures info it is harmless to filters and people and compatible with all forms of sanitizers (CL, BR, Bac), ionizers, etc. It HAS been in use for quite a while now and if there were negative effects I'm sure we would have heard about them. The main thing about it is the question of whether it is a cost effective and just darn plain effective solution to heat loss and evaporation.

Um, I don't mean to be snotty here, but manufacturers of pool chemicals try EVERYTHING to convince people the methods advocated on this forum are crazy.

HTH, one of the biggest chem companies, recently reformulated their Tri-Chor tabs to include copper, which generally VERY bad for pools with the advert "Now double-acting!"

[waterbear]

CarlD,
I mean that if there are any negative effect I am sure that someone in this forum would have pointed them out to us!

[sb2323]

This is the second season we've used the solar fish. In my experience, in Central Texas, it warms the water 6-8 degrees in a matter of several sunny days. Before we got the fish, our pool would lose heat at night, and every morning was like starting over at square one temperature wise. The fish kept the temperature from dropping back down and allowed it to keep climbing even higher the next day. I have young children who have a higher tolerance for cool water than I do :-). There is no way I wanted to mess with a cover when the kids would get in and out of the pool several times a day for 20 minutes or so. It extended our swim time both in the Spring and in the Fall. I noticed absolutely no oily residue or coloring/clouding of the water. I do not think it is as finicky about water motion as some other posts mentioned. We used the filter as usual and as stated before were in and out of the pool often. I w ould suggest you try it for $10 and see if it works for you too!

[Brock]

Yup, I would agree if you don't want to do the cover it is better then nothing. We still use it if we have lots of people over and know the pool will be left uncovered so people can go in and out as they please, every little bit helps.

[mas985]

The primary chemical in heatsavr (Solar Fish) is isopropyl alcohol which changes the evaporation properties of water. Because a pool loses most of the heat through evaporation, this can help reduce heat loss as well. They claim as much as 40%. It is not as effective as a cover but a whole lot easier to use. I plan on trying it out this season to see how well it works.

Here is a web site that has the technical information:

http://www.flexiblesolutions.com/pro...ety_data.shtml

[rmeden]

The way I read the product description the alcohol is a carrier and quickly evaporates. The "active" ingredient is not named (other than by brand), even on the MSDS.

[waterbear]

The primary chemical in heatsavr (Solar Fish) is isopropyl alcohol which changes the evaporation properties of water. Because a pool loses most of the heat through evaporation, this can help reduce heat loss as well. They claim as much as 40%. It is not as effective as a cover but a whole lot easier to use. I plan on trying it out this season to see how well it works.

Here is a web site that has the technical information:

http://www.flexiblesolutions.com/pro...ety_data.shtml

My understanding is that is is a proprietary susbstance in an isopropyl alcohol carreir or solvent. It is supposed to leave a molecule thick coating on the surface of the water. This leads me to believe it is some type of polymer. The MSDS that the above link goes to lists the isopropyl (commenly called rubbing alcohol) as the only hazardous ingredient since it is both toxic and flammable. Alcohol will disperse in water and not form a film on the surface. If you had enough in the water it would evaporate first but you would need to have a pretty strong mixture...probably over 50% to have any appreciable effect!